Michigan

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine (45) drives to the basket in the second half of their Big Ten game against the Northwestern Wildcats at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, February 13, 2014. Michigan State won the game, 85-70. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State's Denzel Valentine did it all in the Spartans' 85-70 win over Northwestern Thursday night.

Not only did the sophomore guard have a career-high 16 points, he added five rebounds and six assists with just one turnover.

For a guy who has routinely sacrificed security for flair in his early days as a college basketball player, his 15-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio over the past three games has his coach beaming.

Michigan State guard Denzel Valentine is having a lot of success with junior point guard Travis Trice running the show. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

"I think Valentine, even though he wasn't maybe quite as good tonight defensively early, but boy he did a lot of good things," head coach Tom Izzo said. "He's getting better and better and better. He had one of his moments late in the game and that gave me a reason to make sure that he doesn't get big-headed.

"Six assists, he's getting rebounds, making shots and he's defending better. He's playing a complete game and I'm really happy for him. You wonder why early in the season we were on him so hard, it's because I know what he's got to give."

And what he's giving right now to No. 9 Michigan State (21-4, 10-2) is a wing man for interim starting point guard Travis Trice.

All of the Spartans' nine fast break points against the Wildcats involved either Valentine, Trice or both.

"I didn't notice until you guys started saying it," Valentine admitted. "But now that I think about it, (Trice) has been finding me and I've been finding him. Now I look back on it and we've been playing better together."

With Keith Appling set to graduate this season and Gary Harris more than likely to leave for the NBA, Trice's ability to find Valentine for the transition jumper on the right wing has taken on the look of Michigan State's future bread and butter play.

"We're maturing finally, watching more film and accepting coaching and criticism," Valentine said. "I hit (the transition jumper) about 80 percent of the time in practice, so coach doesn't have a problem with me shooting that.

"Actually, when I first shot it, somebody in the crowd said, 'Bad shot!' And I was like, alright, wait until I get it again and I'm going to show you."

Valentine finished 6-of-10 from the field and hit all three of his 3-point attempts. Together, he and Trice have accounted for 30 assists and five turnovers in the past three games.